Cops: Man Uses 13-Year Old Son To Shoplift, Ditches Him When Caught By Security

Father’s Day may be just around the corner but the celebrations may be a bit muted for one Florida dad. NBC affiliate WFLA in Tampa reports 38-year-old Travis King of Clearwater used his 13-year-old son to try and steal over $800 worth of goods from a Lowe’s Home Improvement store. Cementing his removal from the ‘Father Of The Year’ awards consideration is the fact that when his boy was stopped by security, King allegedly cut and run, leaving his son holding the stolen merchandise.

Lowe’s security spotted King, his son and a woman allegedly acting suspicious near the cash registers at a Lowe’s store in the Clearwater Mall Tuesday night.

An arrest affidavit obtained by Oxygen states police determined King had placed more than $800 worth of electrical wire into a shopping cart, which his boy was pushing. He then led his son out to the parking lot, bypassing the cash registers where they’d have to pay for it. When a security guard stopped the boy, King allegedly jumped in his vehicle and fled the scene. “He basically left his son there with store security while he took off,” police told WFLA.

Calls to King’s cell phone by security officers went unanswered. They finally reached the boy’s grandmother, who came down to retrieve him. Police reportedly say King then returned to the parking and tried to play it off, saying he had never left the parking lot and that he was looking for his son. Police believe King’s son had no idea his father was attempting to steal the electrical wire. King was taken into custody and later released on a $2,000 bond.